Open 10 AM to 9 PM Monday thru Saturday & from 10 AM to 8 PM on Sundays, curbside pickup & delivery are offered. This 10,000-item store has 353,000 sq feet & sits on 29 acres. The restaurant is open daily from 11 AM to 7 PM; it has a separate Yelp page. For safety reasons, Smaland play area for children is currently closed until further notice.
I swore I would NEVER step foot inside this megastore, but I broke that promise today. A bit of a furniture snob (mostly 1920's thu 1940's grace my home), I never expected to find anything redeeming here, but I definitely did after a friend said everyone should view Ikea in action at least once in his/her lifetime.
After finding a parking spot (one of 1,700 spots) in the ginormous parking lot, I walked inside & almost immediately experienced SENSORY OVERLOAD. I am not joking; it felt as though my jaw dragged behind me w/ every step along the carefully laid out path to a unique shopping experience.
Upon entering, I was first greeted by a large sign advertising the second floor restaurant-- there's an escalator (as well as an elevator) to reach it. I stopped in later to take pics. (I would have eaten here had the cafeteria-style line not been so long.)
Large, yellow plastic bags are available for shopping use, but also available are standard grocery carts. Then there's the series of floor arrows & overhead signs to follow-- kinda like the Yellow Brick Road, which may be why yellow shopping bags are offered-- my English teacher brain would like to believe so:)
I walked through each of the 49 "rooms" (aka sections). All the basics were covered: kitchen; dining room; living room; game room; home office; bedroom; baby room; bathroom; along w/ rugs, mattresses, home textiles, storage, candles, artificial flowers/greenery, holiday home decor; & so much more! Then I reached the entry way to the mesmerizing furniture section (L00K up!) followed by Checkout-- 18 registers; & finally a To Go Cafe that offered pizza, hotdogs, a salad, one vegan offering, & limited beverages.
Through my shock & awe over the enormity of Ikea, I did enjoy what appeared to be GOOD TO LOW PRICING. I filled my cart w/ scented candles that were 5x less costly than what I would be expected to pay elsewhere; colorful 50-count paper dinner napkins (dirt cheap @ $1.99); & excellent quality 20 x 20 accent pillow coverings @ $11, which is a phenomenal price. Should I ever need additional STORAGE CONTAINERS, this will be where I come-- very good pricing!
My masked checkout cashier (hidden by lots of plexiglass & caution), was extremely friendly. She welcomed me & expressed similar feelings about the vast quantity of items sold under such a huge roof. Before I reached her, I gathered that I would need to buy a handheld plastic bag for my stash; thankfully, there's a shelf of bags for purchase in front of every register, including the self checkout section that was tended to by a lone staffer.
WHAT ELSE IS OFFERED HERE? Interested patrons can book a Kitchen Planning appointment. Assembly through TaskRabbit is offered. DoorDash will bring groceries to your home. Virtual organizational workshops are offered, as well as other monthly events, such as free crafts kits for kids (already closed for December)-- check the ONLINE SCHEDULE FOR ALL CURRENT IKEA EVENTS.
After walking my items to my vehicle, I returned to check out the second floor restaurant that seats 350 diners & offers Swedish & American food. Seeing dozens of people corralled in a cattle-like line awaiting to order lunch was unappetizing, so I took pics & headed to Whole Foods to grab a hot lunch:) I did hear from friends that the Ikea food is good (especially the Swedish Meatball entree) & offered @ reasonable prices. Should I ever return to this facility for storage items, I'll probably give them a try.
Shopping here was definitely an interesting experience! I agree w/ my good friend-- everyone should check out Ikea at least once. Hold on tight to your jaw:) read more